Race With a Heart
Chapter 240: Valentine’s Day Special 2

Chapter 240: Valentine’s Day Special 2

Valentine’s Day should never fall on a weekday, Martin said while riding the bus to work. Along the way, he passed excited teenage girls and teenage boys, probably waiting for some love confessions from their dream partners or preparing their own. Martin envied them a little. He was just a tad older than them. He should feel exactly the same enthusiasm as they did, but all he felt was uncertainty about how he should behave in front of Steve.

Of course, he won’t go up to him and say "Happy Valentine’s Day." They’ll only see each other at work, and there their relationship wasn’t announced, so they won’t be able to show affection for each other. They will have to behave as they always have, indifferently, which will only make Martin more anxious about how he should behave toward Steve after work. Only then should he tell him a declaration of love? Or should he say nothing even after work?

Martin sighed. This is exactly why Valentine’s Day should not be during the work week but on the weekend. But what to do? He didn’t establish the calendar, but some Gregory who died probably a thousand years ago or at least five hundred, and he had no idea what anguish it was to spend a whole day working next to a loved one and wondering whether to wish him or not because of Valentine’s Day.

Martin bought what he was supposed to buy, but won’t pick up the package from the parcel machine until after work. This was a good solution regardless of whether Steve would have something for him or not. Because Martin’s gift Steve could only unwrap anyway in a private place. Martin felt a hit of heat. He wondered if Steve will like it. He had a feeling that maybe he would enjoy the gift more than Steve.

Martin’s concerns about how he should behave in front of Steve today soon ceased to occupy his mind, because for some reason he just had more work to do today. A new car part arrived that had to be replaced, and although Martin didn’t get his hands dirty himself, he assisted in this activity with interest. Then the car had to be tested and for this he was the first and on the list and eager. While preparing for the test drive, Martin heard two mechanics gossiping nearby.

"Did you hear that Steve had an argument with Karl?"

"No! What about this time?"

"I have no idea, but lately they either don’t talk to each other at all, or they argue."

"What the hell? They’ve always been best buddies."

"Do you think it might be because Steve doesn’t drive?"

"But it’s not his fault, no? People are saying that this accident was more severe than it seemed and that, you know, Steve might not ride again."

"I can’t imagine that. His career was just beginning..."

Someone called out to one of the mechanics and the conversation ended. In the noise, Martin didn’t recognize which mechanics had just been gossiping, but it didn’t matter much anyway, since they were probably all gossiping. Martin hadn’t heard the gossip before because either he was too busy with work and Steve, or people were especially silent around him. Sometimes they laughed that Paxton was his idol, so maybe they didn’t want to make him uncomfortable or bother him. But just because the rumors didn’t reach him didn’t mean they didn’t exist.

Oh, Steve...

Steve will be back on the track, for Martin it was certain. He would get back on the track and win. There was no other possibility. He only needed some time for his trauma-shocked body to return to full fitness. Just that.

Only, or as much as, because time was running out and in such a competition-oriented profession as a racing driver you couldn’t stand still even for a moment, otherwise you’d find ten new talents ready to take your place immediately. Although such talent as Steve had the track had not seen in decades. He was worth waiting for. Karl made it clear to him, moreover, as did he to everyone in the stable. So what were the two arguing about?

"Are you going to stay like this for long?" Martin suddenly heard Abe Allen’s voice in his headphones. The chief mechanic was exasperated. "Time is money."

"Sorry, Abe, I’m already getting to work."

Martin got into his car and slowly drove out onto the track. He didn’t have time to think about Steve now, he had to focus on his work. And as for Steve... whatever happened between him and Karl, after work Martin will try to make Paxton forget everything and focus solely on him. This is so as a gift for Valentine’s Day.

***

"What do you say we go to the movies tonight?" asked Steve suddenly. Martin dropped the fork with the baked potato impaled on it out of sheer excitement.

"To the movies?"

"This favor I did yesterday to a colleague... He had two free tickets and gave them to me. The movie is supposedly not bad, a war-spy movie, with some romance in the background. The cast is also said to be good. There is talk that the film could be this year’s nominee for the Oscars."

"Ah yes, I know which movie you’re talking about," burbled Martin, recalling a poster with a ruggedly handsome short actor with a very appealing face and eyes like two aquamarines dressed in an elegant British army uniform. He didn’t know the actor, who had a difficult name to pronounce and remember, but he knew the actress. Scarlett was absolutely hot, although now she didn’t excite him like she used to. In fact, she probably didn’t excite him at all anymore. "I wanted to see this movie," he said.

"Yeah? Well, that’s cool. The screening is quite early and I have to get to a certain place afterwards. You can come with me if you don’t have any plans."

"Oh, ok, cool."

Martin and Steve had never been to a movie theater together before. They occasionally watched movies together, although very rarely, and always did so at home. Now, however, they were about to go out to a real movie theater together. Was this a... date?

Martin felt a pressure in his pit and his heart began to beat so hard that he felt physical pain. A date? A real date? On Valentine’s Day?

They had been together for a while, but they weren’t dating. It wasn’t that they hid their relationship from the world. They just didn’t have the opportunity or even the time to do so. They were both perpetually either busy with work, or Steve, due to his frequent hospital stays, didn’t feel like going out that way, so Martin was grateful for what they had i.e. the time they spent together and the crazy sex, although perhaps it lacked a bit of romance. Steve, however, was probably just not the romantic type, and instead of wine dinners and strenuous foreplay, he liked the smell of gasoline, grease and foreplay reminiscent of a predator competition. Not that Martin had anything against it, but going to the movies together definitely qualified for the "romantic" category. Martin suddenly felt very, very excited and happy.

Because he probably had the right to think of this outing as a date, even if Steve didn’t call it that way? Even if Paxton only got those tickets by accident and it just so happened to be on Valentine’s Day.

So whether it was intentional or not, Martin was in for a date with Steve, and it was something that kept him quietly looking forward to the end of the work day. All he was thinking about was how to dress and act on this, their first outing to the movies together?

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.